Care for my brothers, care for me
by ninjanervana
Summary: Care for my brothers, care for me. Or how James Potter fell in love with Lily Evans through the Marauders. 7 chapters, one for every year at Hogwarts. Featuring all of the Marauders.
1. Kind

Damn, ninjanervana, back at it again with another Jily fanfic. (Ten points to everyone who gets that reference.) You guys know how it goes with me, I've always got some sort of idea rattling around my head that demands to be released. You guys are the lucky people who get to see the end result. Remember, I don't own anything, unfortunately.

* * *

Lily Evans was convinced the library was the most magical part of Hogwarts. Not the moving staircases that she had nearly fallen down her second day, not the Forbidden Forest which scared her a little bit, not the ghosts that roamed the hallways whom she found absolutely fascinating, it was the library. The first year had never been in a library so large; she was in awe the first day she walked into it. Miles of bookshelves filled with books on every subject imaginable, for a curious little girl it was heaven on earth. It was especially her favorite place to do her homework after dinner. The Gryffindor common room was always too noisy and homework done in the Great Hall usually had food stains of some sort on it. No, the library was definitely the best place to be and that is where she could be found on the last Thursday night of September, diligently working on her potions essay.

The library was nearly empty at that time of the evening, most students having returned to their common room after dinner. Lily was thrilled by it; this meant she would have more room to spread out her books as she wrote her essay. If she could get it done tonight, that meant she would have more free time over the weekend. The essay wasn't due until Monday, but she liked to have her work done as soon as possible in case she needed to revise it. She pulled out a sheet of parchment, quickly outlining her essay, the scratch of her quill on the paper sounding louder than usual in the nearly empty room. With the library as silent as it was, it was easy for her to hear the frustrated muttering of another student and the slam of a book an aisle over.

As she set her quill down slowly, Lily could hear her mother's voice warning her about her curious nature and how it would get her into trouble one day if she wasn't careful. She was tempted to return her attention to her homework, but a larger part of her wanted to know who else would be in here at that time. Her curiosity inevitably getting the best of her, Lily rose from her seat, quietly making her way to the neighboring bookshelf and peeking around it. A short boy with brown hair was sitting at a table surrounded by his books, his head in his hands. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quiet remember his name. His red and gold tie distinguished him as a Gryffindor and she knew she had seen him in class before. "Are you alright?" she asked softly, not wanting to startle him.

The boy's head shot up at the sound of her voice, looking over at her. "F-fine," he stammered. "I'm fine."

Lily nodded, playing with the end of her braid nervously. "I just heard someone talking and thought I'd see if you were okay. Or if you needed any help. I'll leave you to it then."

As she turned to walk back to her desk, the boy spoke again. "I just...I can't get this charm to work and Flitwick said he's going to test us on it on Monday and I don't want to fail," the boy said miserably. "I barely passed the first one. My mates tried to teach me, but I don't get it."

"I can help you with that, if you would like," Lily offered as she turned back toward him, an encouraging smile on her lips. "I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but I read the entire chapter."

The boy nodded vigorously, gesturing to the chair across from him. "Please. I need all the help I can get."

She crossed the remaining distance between the two of them, settling into the empty seat. "You're Peter right?," she said, finally remembering his name. "Peter Pettigrew."

He looked surprised by her words, a grin spreading across his face, as if he couldn't believe she knew who he was, that he had been remembered. "Yes, yes I am."

"I'm Lily Evans," she replied, reaching across the table to shake his hand. "You're working on the levitation charm right? Let's see what you've got, Peter." As Lily pushed up the sleeves of her shirt, her potions essay was completely forgotten, her attention focused on helping her fellow classmate.

* * *

James laughed as the first year Charms class ended, students streaming into the hall as they hurried to lunch. "Now I've seen everything," he joked as he clapped Peter on the shoulder. "Good job, mate." He knew how nervous Peter had been before his exam, how much time he spent frustrated with the charms, with his inability to get them to work as easily as everyone else did. He knew Peter was proud of finally getting a good grade; they all were proud of him.

Peter grinned back at James as the four best friends exited the classroom, his exam clutched tightly in his hand. "It's really all thanks to Lily; probably woulda failed again if she didn't help me. She's brilliant."

"She's the red-head that sits in the front row?" Remus asked, receiving a nod from Peter. "She gets most of the charms before anyone else in class."

"She's pretty," James commented. "Has a lot of freckles."

"And she's a hell of a witch if she can tutor Peter," Sirius chuckled. "Merlin knows we tried."

James nodded in agreement, "We'll have to get her a chocolate frog to thank her for helping Peter out. We were rubbish at it."

"There she is!" Peter said excitedly as he spotted Lily's bright red hair a few feet ahead of them in the hallway. "Lily!"

Lily turned around as she heard her name, smiling as she spotted Peter hurrying toward her. "Umf," she groaned as Peter nearly ran into her, seizing her in an enthusiastic hug. "Hello Peter; how are you?"

Peter released her from his embrace, a wide grin on his face. "I got an E! On the exam! Flitwick gave me an E!" he said happily, showing her his crumpled exam paper.

She returned his broad smile as she looked down at his test paper. "That's brilliant! I told you that you could do it," she replied.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Lily," Peter stated. "Thank you; you really saved my arse. Mum's gonna be so proud. I'm gonna owl her my exam so she can see it. An E!"

Lily laughed happily, "I'm glad I could help you." She glanced over her shoulder as her friends called to her. "I've gotta go; my friends are waiting for me."

Peter nodded in understanding, "My mates are waiting for me too. I'll see you later, yeah?"

"I'll see you later," she replied as Peter hurried back to his friends. She looked over at the group of boys, giving them a timid smile and a quick wave before hurrying after her friends.

* * *

Reviews please!


	2. Brave

This chapter came out much longer than I intended.

* * *

 _Second Year_

Lily Evans was in a slight panic as she rushed along the empty hallways, her book bag bouncing against her back. Honestly she hadn't meant to spend so long doing her homework in the library; she just wanted to get it over with. Transfiguration was always a tricky subject for her and required extra studying and attention. Before she knew it, it was dangerously close to curfew; she barely paused long enough to shove her books and notes into her bag before sprinting from the library, her long braid swinging behind her.

She didn't want to get detention for running in the halls but she didn't want to get detention for being out past curfew either. She had almost finished her second year of school and her record was spotless; she intended to keep it that way. Or at least she did before the staircases moved, dumping her into a completely unfamiliar corridor. Instead of going back the way she had come and waiting for the staircases to move again, which would have been the sensible thing for her to do, but she was far too flustered to think properly at that point, she had hurried down the unfamiliar hallway, getting herself well and truly lost.

 _'Way to go, Lily; you'll end up in detention for sure now,'_ she thought bitterly, her eyes welling with tears at the thought. _'And they'll write Mum and Dad and they'll be so disappointed. They trusted you to stay out of trouble and you can't even make it back to the common room on time. And you'll never be prefect because they don't pick bad students to be prefect and if you never become prefect, you definitely won't become Head Girl in seventh year since they're always former prefects.'_

Her spiraling thoughts were abruptly stopped as she heard voices coming from the next corner down the hall, a wave of relief washing over her. The voices were a little hushed because of the distance, but she definitely heard talking. If there were people, that meant maybe someone could give her directions back to the Gryffindor Tower and maybe she wouldn't get detention. She was sure if she just explained the situation, they'd be happy to help. Her mood brightened considerably at the thought, her footsteps quiet in her leather shoes as she hurried, hoping the people talking wouldn't walk away.

As she neared the corner, she felt her stomach drop. _'Oh no,'_ she thought as she recognized one of the voices, a scowl forming on her face. _'Sirius Black.'_ It was a well-known fact that there was no love lost between her and her fellow Gryffindor. Sirius had called her a stuck up, know-it-all and Lily had called him a bullying slacker. Black and Potter were constantly pulling pranks on students, mean, cruel jokes that no one found funny but themselves. She also didn't appreciate that they constantly bullied her best friend, Severus, when he had done nothing to them. Lily was normally a calm girl, but she had had more than a few screaming matches that year with Potter and Black. If she had to choose between getting detention for being out past curfew and depending on Black for assistance, she would take the detention in a heartbeat.

Her head held high, Lily prepared to walk around the corner past Black and whomever he was with, hesitating as she listened to the voices. There were other people there with Black, but it didn't sound like Potter and the others. Sticking close to the wall, she cautiously peered around the corner, her curiosity getting the best of her. Black faced away from her, his posture stiffed as he faced down three Slytherin boys; all four had their wands drawn. _'Oh no,'_ Lily thought fearfully.

"Not so brave without your mates here, are you, Black?" one of the boys sneered, eliciting chuckles from his companions.

"A Gryffindor is always brave," Sirius replied haughtily. "Not that you slimy snakes know anything about that."

"That's big talk coming from a git who's gonna end up in the hospital wing," another boy snapped. "Let's see how brave you are for a three-on-one duel."

Lily paled at the boy's words. Dueling was strictly forbidden outside of Defense Against the Dark Arts class, but she had a feeling that these boys didn't care. And they were right; three against one for dueling would get Sirius injured badly, possibly even killed. Even if they weren't as skilled as Sirius, and he was rather skilled though Lily was reluctant to admit it, he was outnumbered.

"Ha! I can cast circles around you idiots," Sirius retorted, his nervousness only given away by the slight tremor in his free hand.

Biting her lip, Lily debated running for help and hoping to find a professor before anyone could get hurt. It was the smarter thing to do, the safer decision but it felt like a cowardly choice, to abandon Sirius when he needed help. _'A Gryffindor is always brave,'_ she thought. _'Especially now.'_

Lily didn't know what set off the fight, but suddenly one of the Slytherin boys shot a hex at Sirius, who barely managed to avoid it before firing back his own. Dropping her backpack onto the floor, she stepped around the corner, quickly casting a shield charm as another hex was shot at Sirius. To say the boys were shocked to see her was an understatement; the fighting paused for a full five seconds while they all gaped at her before returning to its previous ferocity. "Evans," Sirius greeted her as they exchanged hexes with the Slytherins, sounding as if they were chatting over breakfast instead of fighting for their safety. They were holding their own pretty well but it was still three against two.

"Black," Lily replied, his name coming out as a squeal as a hex bounced off of the edge of her shield. She knew she should be more terrified about dueling in the hallway, something that would definitely land her in detention if it didn't land her in the hospital wing, but she was too focused on the fighting and the adrenaline pumping through her to worry about being scared. "You do know it's forbidden to duel in the hallway right?" she asked dryly.

Sirius laughed loudly, throwing his head back. "Don't think the Slytherins got the update. Why are you here?"

She glanced at him before turning back to her opponent. "A Gryffindor is always brave," she replied. "Even when the situation is borderline suicidal."

"We'll just have to stay on the right side of the line then, won't we?" Sirius answered cheekily.

Lily couldn't help the laugh that slipped out of her, the sound getting louder at Sirius's surprised yet smug look. She was finally having a decent conversation with him and it was happening in the middle of a duel. She managed to hit one of the boys with a leg-locker curse, causing him to tumble to the ground and yank one of his friends down with him.

"Who's out here?" a gruff voice called from down the hall. "Students out of bed past curfew! Detention for all of you!"

Her eyes widened at the voice, turning to glance at Sirius. "We've gotta go before Filch catches us!"

Sirius glanced at the Slytherins who were trying to help their friend up and hurry away before nodding in agreement. Grabbing Lily's backpack off the floor, he gripped her hand, leading her full speed in the other direction.

If you asked her, Lily couldn't have told you how she got back to Gryffindor Tower; it was all a blur of running down halls, jumping over trick stairs and darting behind tapestries that held unknown hallways. All she knew was that she had never been more grateful to be back in the common room, even if it was empty.

As the portrait shut behind them, Sirius doubled over with laughter, his hands planted on his thighs.

"What exactly is so funny?" Lily asked, trying to sound stern but unable to fight the smile forming on her lips. "We could have gotten detention! Or expelled!"

"That was bloody brilliant, Evans," he finally said as he calmed down, though a chuckle still escaped him. "I didn't know you could duel like that! Did you see those Slytherins' faces? You mopped the floor with them."

"Shh, you'll wake the whole house," she laughed softly, secretly proud of his comment.

"Remind me never to cross you," Sirius commented as he held her bag out to her. "You'll hex me into the hospital wing."

"I would not!"

"But you could," he replied easily, slinging his arm over her shoulders and leading her to the dormitory staircase. "I was wrong about you, Evans; you're not half bad. A true Gryffindor through and through."

Lily smiled slightly, heading up the girls staircase. "You're not so bad yourself, Black. I'm glad we came out on the right side of the line."

Sirius laughed as he headed up the staircase. "Good night, Evans," he called to her.

"Good night, Black," she answered softly, the girls' dormitory door shutting quietly behind her.

Shaking his head in amusement, he pushed open the door to the boys' dormitory. The lads were never going to believe him.

* * *

"Wait, just wait. You're trying to tell me Lily Evans, goody two shoes, teacher's pet, Lily Evans, fought with you in a duel against three Slytherins," James said incredulously. "I don't believe it. It's impossible."

Sirius nodded as he pulled on his t-shirt before lying on his bed. The moment he entered the room, he had been bombarded with questions about his whereabouts. A quick re-telling of the events left his three best friends shocked to say the least; they were ready to rush to the girls' dormitory to hear from Lily if the entire story was true.

"Are you sure you didn't fall and hit your head somewhere, Sirius?" Peter joked, leaning against the side of Sirius's bed. "Lily's never broken a rule before. Dueling in the halls is a big rule to break; they'd have our head for it."

He gave Peter a dirty look before nodding. "I _know_ ," Sirius replied. "We were all shocked to see her there. She was pretty fantastic too; guess all that studying in Charms paid off."

"She probably saved you from getting sent to the hospital wing," Remus commented. "You wouldn't have survived a three against one fight."

"Only Slytherins fight dirty like that," James muttered. "Spineless snakes."

"I got lucky she was there," Sirius agreed as he opened out his blanket. "I didn't expect her to be so brave."

James nodded in understanding. "Lily Evans, brave enough to take on a group of Slytherins and risk getting a month of detention. I guess Hogwarts will never stop surprising me," he laughed as he lay down on his bed.

Sirius laughed, "Now we know, next time we cross her, she can definitely hurt us."

He laughed with him, setting his glasses on his nightstand. "I don't doubt that she's brave enough to hex us. She's a Gryffindor after all."

* * *

Next chapter, Remus!


	3. Compassionate

_Third Year_

 _'Bloody hell, it's cold,'_ Lily thought as she walked down the stairs to the common room, tugging her dressing robe tightly around her. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised; after two and a half years at Hogwarts, she knew the winters could be brutal. She had gone to bed two hours ago, intent on getting a good night's sleep for her Transfiguration exam in the morning, but she hadn't been able to fall asleep at all. After turning and twisting for a while, she decided a little walk and some late night chocolate would help her clear her head and relax a bit. With everyone asleep, she would get the chance to sit in the plushy red armchair by the fire. It was the most comfortable chair in the common room, which meant there was always someone sitting in it to her dismay.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she hesitated as she saw someone sitting by the coffee table. Lily knew she shouldn't have been out of bed so late, it was almost one in the morning, but she was pretty sure she wasn't breaking any rules as long as she didn't leave Gryffindor Tower. Holding onto this thought, she carefully made her way across the room, a little surprised as the person never looked over at her. When she reached the couches, she realized who the person was and why they never looked up at her. Remus Lupin had fallen asleep, his head pillowed by a textbook.

"Oh Remus," she murmured, grabbing a blanket from the back of the couch. Lily liked Remus quite a bit; she considered him a friend. She couldn't stand the rest of his group of friends, not the arrogant James Potter or the equally obnoxious Sirius Black, but Remus was different. He was kind and funny and smart, not a loudmouth like the other two. He actually cared about his schoolwork and didn't bully the other students. She had been paired up with Remus once on a Charms project and their friendship had sprung easily from their mutual desire to do well before growing with their mutual interests: school, books, muggle television shows. He was an easy person to be around and she valued his friendship immensely.

Crouching down beside the sleeping boy, she carefully spread the blanket across his shoulders before brushing his hair from his forehead. He would catch a cold sitting like that in the common room, especially with the fire so low, and Lily knew he already had his fair share of problems, more than any student should have. Even asleep the poor boy looked tired, lines of exhaustion etched into his skin.

Lily looked around at the work he was doing; maybe there was something that she could help him with. Carefully pulling the piece of parchment from beneath his hand, a small smile formed on her face. _'Potions, perfect,'_ she thought as she grabbed the quill and another sheet of parchment, sitting down next to Remus. Remus's essay was half completed, the ink smudged from where his hand rubbed the wet ink when he fell asleep. There was still eight inches of parchment left to complete before he could hand it in tomorrow, but thankfully Potions was one of Lily's best subjects; had it been Transfiguration, she's not sure she would have been as able to help him. She took out her bar of chocolate, snapping off a piece and popping it into her mouth, the sugary taste waking her more. Making herself comfortable, she set to work finishing off his essay.

She looked up from the parchment almost an hour later as she heard Remus stirring beside her. "Go back to sleep, Remus," she crooned as she put down her quill, stroking his hair lightly. "It's alright." Lily looked down at the finished essay, re-reading it as she continued stroking his hair. She was pleased with the end result; it had all the necessary information without sounding too similar to the essay she had written. There was no way Slughorn would know that she had written it for him.

"Lily?" Remus mumbled sleepily, opening his eyes slowly.

She smiled back at him. "You know you do have a dorm that you can sleep in; I don't think the coffee table is a comfortable spot for sleep," she teased.

"Didn't mean to fall asleep," he replied as he rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up. "I was doing my Potions essay-oh Merlin, the essay, I never finished the essay!"

"Relax," Lily said gently, resting her hand on his arm. "It's fine, I finished it for you. You just have to copy the rest of it onto your essay, but you can do that in the morning before class."

Remus's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at her. "You didn't have to do that for me, Lily. I know you don't like people copying your work; I can't copy your essay."

"Well of course you can't copy _my_ essay. That's why I wrote a different one for you," she replied easily.

"You-you wrote a different essay for me?" he sputtered. "You wrote a second essay on the same topic?"

Lily nodded, "Technically, it was only the second half of an essay. You wouldn't have had enough time to finish it in the morning and I can't let you get a bad grade just because you've got a lot going on and you're exhausted. Friends help each other."

"Lily, I-I don't know what to say. You're the absolute best," Remus thanked her, hugging her tightly. "I owe you big time. You're a great friend."

She returned his hug easily, "You owe me nothing. What you are going to do from now on, however, is ask me for help when you need it. I'm your friend, Remus; you can trust me to help as much as I can."

"Thanks," he repeated, blushing faintly.

Lily bit her lip before taking Remus's hand in hers, thinking over her next words. "You know you'll be my friend no matter, right? You'll always be Remus Lupin to me, even if you're a little different."

Remus grew pale as Lily spoke, a worried look crossing his face. "Ye-yeah, of course," he stammered. "But I'm not different."

She looked around the common room, making sure they were alone before speaking again. "Remus, I know you're a werewolf," she whispered.

"Wh-what?" Remus said in alarm, his eyes wide with terror. "Lily, I don't-why would you say-"

Her next words escaped her in a rush, unable to hold them back any longer. "I know you're a werewolf; I've known it for a while. I had done some reading in my spare time during second year and then I noticed you leaving every month to go see your sick mother but she was always sick on the night of the full moon and then you would always be so tired the next morning barely able to get through class without Potter or Black holding you up so I finally put two and two together and realized you're a werewolf but that doesn't matter to me. You're sick and that's not your fault and you didn't ask for it and that doesn't make you any different from any of us. You'll always be Remus Lupin to me." She panted as she stopped speaking, having spoken without pausing for breath.

His eyes filled with tears at her words, his lower lip trembling slightly. "Lily, I-I," he choked out, unsure of where his sentence was going.

Lily hugged him tightly, her own eyes filling with tears at his frightened expression. Merlin, she hated how scared he looked, downright terrified. "I just-I just wanted to know you'll always have me in your corner, alright?" she whispered. "Always."

Remus rested his head on her shoulder, nodding. "Thank you," he murmured before clearing his throat and pulling away. "You're a great friend."

She smiled back at him before grabbing her nearly finished chocolate bar from the coffee table. "Want to help me finish this before we head up to bed? We need to get some sleep if we want to pass the Transfiguration exam tomorrow?"

He nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Yeah, I love chocolate."

* * *

"You lot sound like Lily," Remus commented, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He broke off a piece of his chocolate bar before passing it to Sirius. It was nearly the end of third year and the Marauders, as they came to be known, were sitting together in their empty dorm room in the middle of the night. After much deliberation, James, Peter and Sirius decided to tell Remus that they knew about his lycanthropy, which involved a lot of panic on Remus's part, stammered explanations from James and assurances from the group, often loud and accompanied by a pat on the shoulder or a quick, but manly hug, that this changed absolutely nothing, that Remus was still their best friend, always would be, that he was exactly the same in their eyes as he had always been."

"Evans? What do you mean?" Sirius mumbled around a piece of chocolate, passing the bar to Peter.

"A lot of what you said she said to me back in February when she found out," Remus explained. "Just less loudly."

The three boys looked thunderstruck at his words, their eyes wide. "Evans has known about you since February? And she's kept your secret? She hasn't even told Snivellus?" James questioned, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Merlin knows what that slimy git would do if he found out."

He shook his head. "She wouldn't do that; she's a good person, a good friend," Remus answered. "Been helping me get homework done the night after the full moon. Even encouraged me to tell you guys."

"But how did she even find out?" Peter questioned, handing James the last piece of chocolate from the bar.

"She's the smartest witch in our year; she probably figured it out," Sirius commented, his suspicions confirmed by Remus's nod.

"That's really good of her," James replied, popping his piece of chocolate into his mouth before leaning back on his arms. As he thought of the feisty red-haired girl, a smile crossed his lips. "To be looking out for you while we didn't know. Beauty, brains, personality, I think I'll ask Evans's out again."

The boys laughed loudly, shaking their head in amusement. "Who wants to bet what hex she uses against him this time?" Sirius said with a grin.

"Shut up," James laughed, pushing Sirius's shoulder gently. "She'll say yes to me, wait and see."

* * *

Reviews please!


	4. Supportive

_Fourth Year_

"There you are," Lily said happily as she pulled her cloak out of the bottom of her trunk, shaking it open. The cloth was slightly wrinkled but still passable. She fastened it around her neck, turning toward the mirror to check her appearance. It was the first Friday of October and classes had finished for the afternoon. Lily's friends had suggested a walk around the Black Lake to celebrate the end of the school week and Lily was quick to agree to the plans. As studious as she was, she longed for a break from her schoolwork. However, one step outside of the castle sent her scurrying back to Gryffindor Tower for her forgotten cloak. It was still rather warm for October, but definitely not warm enough for her to go out without her cloak; she'd end up with a cold in no time. She'd sent her friends outside, promising to catch up with them after she found her cloak.

Satisfied with her appearance, Lily quickly brushed her hair and rubbed a light coat of lip gloss on before heading back down to the common room. She was surprised to hear someone murmuring in the room; it had been empty when she raced through it a few minutes earlier. It seemed everyone was eager to soak up the last warmth of the season before the autumn chill set in. Once the cold air set in, they wouldn't be able to shake it until April at least.

Reaching the bottom of the staircase, she saw Peter Pettigrew pacing the room as he muttered to himself. It wasn't unusual to see Peter, they were in the same house after all, but it was strange to see him without his mates. Where one Marauder was, as they called themselves, the others weren't far behind.

"Alright, Peter?" she called to him as she walked toward the couches.

He looked up in surprise, nodding jerkily. "Hello Lily. I didn't think anyone was in here."

"I just ran in to get my cloak," Lily explained. "It's a bit cold outside. I didn't see you in here when I came in."

Peter sank onto the couch with a sigh, "I just came in a moment ago."

Lily frowned at his dejected expression, "Is everything alright, Peter?" she asked. "Can I help with anything?"

He shook his head, "I don't think anyone can help me. I'm a lost cause."

She sat down on the couch, unfastening her cloak. There was no way she would leave the boy with how upset he looked; her friends could wait a few more minutes. "You're not a lost cause," Lily replied kindly. "You never know, maybe I can help you."

Peter looked at her, biting his lip as he hesitated. He took a deep breath as Lily smiled encouragingly. "Next week is the first Hogsmeade weekend...and I was thinking of asking someone," he said quietly, his gaze focused on his shoes. "But the lads said she'd never go out with me."

"I assume you mean Potter and Black?" she answered dryly. As Peter nodded, Lily scoffed in disgust. "Don't listen to those gits; what do they know about girls anyways? They're absolute prats. You can get any girl you set your mind to."

"But the lads said-"

"To hell with what they said," Lily interrupted him, unwilling to let him speak ill about himself. "If you fancy this girl, you should ask her out; you're a great bloke, Peter. Tell me, what's her name?"

Peter blushed brightly, looking up at Lily before looking away again. "Amelia Goddard," he muttered.

Lily's expression brightened as she recognized the name. "Oh the Hufflepuff in our year? She's a wonderful girl."

He smiled slightly, "She is, isn't she? She's brilliant with Charms; she's helped me the past few classes. And she's got pretty eyes."

She nodded in agreement, "And I happen to know she isn't going with anyone to Hogsmeade next week. She was actually complaining to Marlene and I this week that no one had asked her and she wants someone to take her."

Peter jumped to his feet at her words, his eyes bright. "Really? She said that?" he asked excitedly.

"She did," Lily replied with a nod. "So there's no reason why you can't ask her to Hogsmeade. She'll probably be down by the lake like everyone else. Go out there and tell her what you told me. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to go with you."

He dashed toward the portrait hole, nearly tripping over an armchair in his haste. "Wish me luck!" he called over his shoulder.

"You don't need it!" Lily shouted encouragingly as Peter rushed out of the common room. Grabbing her cloak, she buttoned it on, walking out of the common room at a leisurely pace.

* * *

"Isn't that Wormy over there?" Sirius commented, looking over at a group of girls who stood closer to the lake's edge. Squinting slightly, he watched as Peter walked over to the group, drawing one of the girls aside to talk. Sirius, James, and Remus sat beneath one of the trees that were scattered near the lake. Their uniforms were all slightly disheveled: ties loosened, shirts untucked, robes tossed aside as they made themselves comfortable on the grass.

James released his Snitch, catching it again before it got too far. "Yeah, it is," he said as he inspected the group. "Looks like he's talking to that bird he was going on about earlier. The Hufflepuff girl."

"Which girl is that? I don't remember him mentioning anyone," Remus replied, his attention drawn away from the book on his lap.

"You'd stopped to chat with Evans this morning when he mentioned it," Sirius answered. "We told him not to ask her out; she's out of his league. Have you seen the legs on her?" He let out a wolf whistle, a grin on his lips. "And that arse. She might be out of my league."

Remus closed his book, taking a deep breath before he whacked Sirius in the back of the head with his book. "That's not something you say to your friend; you're supposed to support them. You support all of James's rejected attempts with Lily," he chastised him. "And from the looks of things, you were wrong anyway." He gestured over to Peter, watching as the grinning boy nodded vigorously to the girl before hurrying toward them. The girl was blushing as she hurried back to her own group of friends. "That does not look like a bloke who's been rejected."

"Guess who's taking Amelia to Hogsmeade next week," Peter announced proudly as he stood before the trio. His face was flushed with color, most likely from talking to Amelia.

"She said yes to you?" James said incredulously, earning a whack to the head from Remus's book. "Ow, Moony, that bloody hurt," he mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. "You know those textbooks are heavy."

Peter nodded as he sat down beside Remus, "No thanks to you and Padfoot. Lily convinced me to ask her out, said that she didn't have a date yet."

"Evans helped you get a date?" Sirius laughed. "The bird that's been rejecting James's dates since last year?"

"She's rather nice when you and James aren't around," Peter commented. "And thanks to her I've got a date."

Remus grinned, clapping a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Congrats, mate. Maybe we should have Lily give James some tips on asking her out."

Sirius snorted loudly, shaking his head. "Evans may be encouraging to Wormy, but I doubt she'll encourage Prongs to harass her more," he laughed, wincing as James threw the snitch at the side of his head. "Bloody hell, that hurt!"

* * *

Reviews please!


	5. Sympathetic

I think this may have been my favorite chapter of this story so far

* * *

 _Fifth Year_

"It's too bloody cold for patrols," Lily muttered to herself, pulling her cloak around her body tightly. The drafty corridors were awful on a regular basis; at almost midnight on a February night, it was unbearably cold. It didn't help that her patrol partner for the night, Teresa McDaniel from Ravenclaw, had gotten hurt during Potions and was forced to stay overnight in the Hospital Wing. The patrols could be tedious, but they passed quickly when you had company. When you were alone, all you could focus on was how cold it was and your slowly freezing limbs. _'Just the Astronomy Tower and then I can go crawl into my toasty bed,'_ she told herself as she ascended the spiral staircase.

The Astronomy Tower seemed to be the preferred location for students to sneak off to when they were looking for a quick snog, after the broom cupboards. Lily always saved the Tower for last; she told her fellow prefects it was so she wouldn't have to double-check the Tower before she went back to her common room, but she honestly wanted to give the couples a bit of privacy, even if they were breaking the rules. She wasn't heartless after all. Though she would never admit it to anyone, she had snuck up there once in fourth year with a boy; a prefect showing up was an absolute mood killer.

As she pushed open the door at the top of the Tower, Lily thought she was going to be blown back down the stairs. _'Please be empty, please be empty, please be empty,'_ she thought desperately as her teeth chattered. She couldn't imagine anyone would be mad enough to be outside in the cold, but hormonal teenagers always surprised her. Lily shut the door behind her as the wind finally died down. She circled the top of the Tower, frowning as she spotted a figure hunched over against the wall. "It's after curfew," she said sternly as she approached them, her arms folded across her chest. "What's your name?"

The figure looked up at her, a tight smile spreading across his lips as the wind ruffled his long black hair. His cheeks and nose were tinged pink from the cold air and he hadn't bothered to pull his cloak shut, as if he wasn't bothered by the biting cold. "I think you already know me, Evans."

Lily scowled as she looked down at the boy. Out of all the people she could find at the top of the Tower, it had to be one of the most annoying prats in the entire school. "Black," she said dryly. "Why am I not surprised? Where's the rest of the lost boys then? I know Remus has patrols, but I'm sure Potter and Peter are up here with you."

"Not here," Sirius replied, raising a bottle to his lips and taking a deep drink from the nearly empty bottle. "It's just me."

"Are you drunk?" Lily asked incredulously, grabbing the bottle from his hand. She examined the amber liquid before taking a whiff of the bottle, her eyebrows rising. "How in Godric Gryffindor's name did you get firewhiskey?"

"Marauder's secret," he slurred as he grabbed another bottle from his side, knocking over the two empty ones seated next to him. "So why don't you bugger off and leave me alone, yeah?"

"Stop that," she said firmly, reaching for the second bottle. Her grip barely missed the glass as Sirius yanked it away. "You know you'll end up with at least two weeks of detention for underage drinking and being out after curfew, right?"

Sirius shrugged his shoulders, uncorking the bottle. "Ask me if I care," he muttered, taking a drink.

Lily's eyes narrowed as she watched him, her foot tapping against the stone floor. Something wasn't quite right with Black. He was always reckless, doing anything he could for a laugh, having absolutely no regard whatsoever for the rules or his fellow students, but he was never like this. He was never destructive, not like this. _'I'm going to regret this,'_ she thought as she sat down beside her, a shiver going through her body as the cold seeped through her clothes. "What's wrong?" she asked tonelessly, looking straight ahead as she set the bottle she confiscated beside her.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" he retorted, leaning his head back against the wall. His eyes closed slowly before reopening. "I'm fine."

"You're lying," Lily answered easily, pulling her cloak more tightly around her. "You and Potter are joined at the hip; the only time you aren't together is when you're put in separate detentions and even then I'm sure that you find a way to each other. So obviously something must be wrong if you're out here drinking alone. I'm sure Potter enjoys firewhiskey just as much as you."

Sirius snorted loudly, "If something is wrong like you seem to think, why do you think I'd want to tell you about it? You don't give a rat's arse about me. We're not friends."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Probably because we're not friends. You couldn't care less what I think of you or your problems. You'll care about what your best mates think, but you don't care about me. As you so eloquently said, you don't give a rat's arse about me," Lily replied as she shivered. "So out with it already; I don't have all night to sit up here and watch you get piss drunk."

"You've got your own bottle now; you're welcome to join me," he said with a disbelieving laugh.

"I don't drink," she answered dryly, giving him a dirty look.

Sirius gasped dramatically, one hand clutching his chest as the other held his bottle. "Perfect prefect Lily Evans doesn't drink? I'm absolutely shocked," he said sarcastically. Lily remained silent, refusing to rise to his bait. _'Five minutes,'_ she told herself as she shivered again. _'Five minutes and then I'm dragging him downstairs by his hair.'_

The silence stretched between them, broken only by the sound of the wind blowing and the firewhiskey swishing around in Sirius's bottle. Lily was getting ready to stand up when Sirius cleared his throat. "My kid brother, Reg, hates me," he muttered, his words quickly followed by a drink from his bottle. "Thinks I'm a blood traitor."

"Blood traitor?" Lily asked in confusion.

"My family's full of whacked out blood elitist arses," Sirius explained, a hint of anger tinting his voice. "Thinks they're Merlin's gift to the world because they're purebloods and that muggleborns are scum. I think it's a load of shit so I'm a blood traitor. You shoulda seen the fit they threw when I was sorted into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin like the rest of my family. Surprised they didn't turn me out of the house."

Lily frowned deeply at his words. She knew there were magical families out there that thought like that, but she never considered that Sirius's family would be one of them. Sirius liked or disliked people regardless of their blood status. Suddenly the fifteen-year-old boy seemed so much older than he should be. "That's awful," she said honestly.

"He's getting himself in too deep," he said quietly, a frown tugging at his lips. "The people he hangs out with, the older students, they'll eat him alive. My parents already poisoned his head."

"You tried to warn him?" Lily asked gently, trying to keep any hint of pity or sympathy from her voice.

He nodded jerkily, taking a deep pull from his bottle. "Cornered him after dinner, told him he was being a git, that his friends would get him into something I couldn't save him from. You know what Reg said to me?" Sirius said with a bitter laugh, his jaw tense. "He said I was a blood traitor, a disgrace to our family. That I wasn't his brother anymore, I was dead to him."

Lily's frown deepened, her brow wrinkling. She knew all too well what it felt like to be on the receiving end of those words, when the person who is supposed to always be in your corner turns their back on you. She knew too well how it burned you from the inside out, how the pain never really went away; it just faded into a somewhat bearable ache. "I know how it feels when your sibling tells you that," Lily murmured. "My sister and I…well long story short, she says I'm a freak and not her sister."

"I didn't know you had a sister," he slurred, his bottle nearly slipping from his hands.

Lily shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "She and I don't get on well, not since I got my Hogwarts letter. When I became a witch, I stopped being her sister and started being the freak. We don't talk unless we're snapping at each other," she sighed, playing with the hem of her cloak. "We used to be close and now she won't even look at me. Summer break is always awful because of her."

Sirius was quiet for a moment, the cold wind ruffling his hair. "Ungrateful bastards, the lot of them," he muttered, offering his firewhiskey bottle to her.

She grabbed the nearly empty bottle beside her, tapping it against Sirius's lightly. There was only enough alcohol in the bottle for two, maybe three mouthfuls; what was the harm. "To hell with them. We'll make our family here," Lily agreed, taking a drink from the bottle. She barely managed to swallow the liquid before she began coughing, her hand pounding against her chest. "Bloody hell, that burns."

Sirius laughed loudly, his face losing a hint of its haunted look. "It's an acquired taste, Evans," he answered.

"I guess I'll just have to keep at it then," Lily replied, glancing at Sirius before taking a tentative sip from the bottle.

"Let's put your perfectionist streak to some real fun," Sirius declared, turning his attention back to his own bottle.

* * *

"Merlin, how are you so heavy," Lily groaned as she shuffled Sirius through the portrait hole and into the common room. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning and Lily was exhausted and still quite cold. After Sirius finished off his firewhiskey, Lily convinced him it would be better to head back to Gryffindor Tower instead of getting hypothermia sitting outside. Maneuvering him had been an absolute nightmare; he seemed far more drunk standing up than he had been sitting down. It was a wonder they didn't get caught by any professors in the halls.

His arm still slung across her shoulder, Lily wound her arm around his waist tightly as she led him up the steps to the boys' dormitory. "Better appreciate this, Black," she muttered as they slowly made their way up the stone steps. She didn't think she'd be able to get back up if they took a tumble down the stairs.

"I'll remember this forever, Lil," Sirius slurred, his head lolling onto her shoulder. "Promise."

 _'You'll be lucky if you remember anything tomorrow,'_ she thought as she approached the fifth floor boys' bedrooms. She was relieved to see the light shining beneath the door; at least she wouldn't be fumbling in the dark with Sirius. If a light was on, that meant someone had to be up to help her. Lily kicked the door lightly, worried Sirius would fall over if she released him for a moment.

There was shuffling and muttering in the room before the door was opened, the bright light spilling into the hall. James stood in the doorway in his pajamas; she could see Remus and Peter inside of the room, their heads turned toward her. "Lily," James said in shock, his hand ruffling his hair. "Oh thank Merlin, Padfoot. Where've you been? We were about to come looking for you." James stepped forward, pulling Sirius's free arm across his shoulders before shifting the boy to lean against him.

"Hey mate," Sirius slurred, grinning up at James. "Been ha-hanging with Evans."

"You were going to search the whole castle for him?" Lily questioned, sighing in relief as Sirius's dead weight was lifted from her shoulders. Sirius may have looked rather slim, but he weighed a ton.

"Of course we would," James answered easily, leading Sirius to his bed. "No Marauder left behind."

"Where'd you find him?" Peter asked curiously, sitting on the trunk at the end of his bed. "We checked all the usual places after dinner."

"In the Astronomy Tower," she replied easily.

Remus raised his brows, "Is he mad? It's freezing out there."

"Don't I know it," Lily sighed. "I'm sure the four bottles of firewhiskey kept him warm enough."

James sighed as he sat Sirius down carefully on his bed before removing his shoes for him. "Merlin, Sirius, couldn't wait to party with us? How many detentions does he have, Evans?" he questioned as he removed his tie, tossing it aside. "Don't fall asleep on me yet, mate; you won't thank yourself in the morning."

"He doesn't have any detention," Lily answered, shifting uncomfortably as three pairs of eyes turned to stare at her. "He had an awful day and I…I get it. So I'm giving him a break this time. But it's only going to be this once," she said firmly.

James smiled at her as he helped Sirius out of his robes. "You're an angel, Evans," he said sincerely. "Thank you."

Lily blushed brightly, "It was nothing. Just try to keep him out of trouble, alright? I won't freeze my arse off for him a second time."

"We'll try our best, but you know Sirius," Remus chuckled.

She rolled her eyes, an amused smile on her lips as she watched James tuck Sirius into bed. "Black," Lily called, "you remember what I said about family, right?"

"I have family here," Sirius slurred, nearly smacking James in the face as he held up three fingers.

"Don't forget that, alright?" she said gently before looking at the other three boys. "I'm going to bed now. Try to stay out of trouble tomorrow so I can catch up on my sleep."

"Evans," James called as Lily began to close the door behind her. "Thanks again for looking after Sirius. He's a prat sometimes, but he's our prat."

Lily nodded, a small smile on her lips. "Sleep well, boys," she said as she shut the door behind her.

"Evans is a nice bird," Sirius yawned, his eyes closing slowly. "Barking mad, but she's nice."

James chuckled, "You got lucky this time with her, Padfoot. She could have put you in detention for a month."

Sirius nodded slightly as sleep began to overtake him. "See why you like her, Prongs…she's nice."

* * *

Reviews please!


	6. Mischievous

_Sixth Year_

Lily hummed quietly as she made her way through the empty halls, her rounds for the evening completed. The prefect had already parted ways with her Ravenclaw counterpart and was looking forward to a little time curled up in front of the fireplace. It was a little after midnight, which meant the common room would be mostly empty and she might get a chance to sit in the cushy armchair beside the fireplace, the chair everyone fought for. Maybe she could even get in a little reading before she went to bed. Pleased at the thought, she rounded the corner with a smile on the face.

She was shocked to find four people standing in the hall, three of them facing her. _'Oh these boys,'_ she thought as she saw the Marauders, rolling her eyes. Their faces lit up momentarily before they shot her a pleading look. Facing away from her was Filch and Mrs. Norris; judging from his tone, he was overjoyed at finding the boys out their common room. Besides Peeves, the Marauders were Filch's archenemy; the boys had been pranking him since they were first years. "Out of bed after curfew, I'll have you lot in detention for a week," he rasped with a chuckle. "Have you hanging by your thumbs for hours, I will. Always knew you lot were trouble, always causing some mischief from the very first day. Just as bad as Peeves, you are. Flooding corridors, planting stink bombs, disrupting halls. If there's ever trouble, it's always you four behind it. You thought you'd sneak one past me, but you won't. Me and Mrs. Norris are too smart for you troublemakers, aren't we, Mrs. Norris?"

Shaking her head, Lily plastered an overly cheerful smile on her face, striding toward the group purposefully. It was fun to watch the boys squirm, but she didn't want them to get into trouble. "There you lot are," she said happily. Filch turned toward her, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Good evening, Mr. Filch, Mrs. Norris." She turned back to the Marauders, forcing herself to maintain her fake smile. "Sorry we got separated; I didn't expect the staircase to move just yet. Absolutely awful contraptions, aren't they?" The boys nodded, obviously prepared to go along with whatever story she told.

"These three are with you, Evans?" Filch questioned. He looked over at the three boys before turning back to her. "Found them roaming the halls."

"We were not roaming; you found us right here," Sirius retorted, shutting up as Lily glared at him and Peter elbowed his side.

"Unfortunately they are with me; they've been with me all night," Lily replied, rolling her eyes. Taking a step toward Filch, she lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "You know how this group is; if you turn your back on them for a moment, they'll be causing some sort of chaos. Can't trust them one bit. They've no respect at all, not for the school grounds or their fellow students or our esteemed staff, like yourself." Filch puffed up with pride at her words so she continued on. "Lupin is alright most of the time, but Black and Pettigrew, well I couldn't leave them alone while we went on our rounds. Merlin knows what disaster I'd come back to. I figured the smartest thing to do would be to take them with me, put them to work."

"Laying it on a bit thick, isn't she?" Sirius whispered, earning himself another elbow to his side.

Lily gave him a quelling look before turning back to Filch. "You've got to keep them busy, can't take your eyes off them for a second. I had them clean out one of the potions cupboards on the third floor," she explained. "I would have had Potter too, but he's already got detention with Professor Sprout."

Filch gave a grunt of agreement, "Heard Sprout mentioning something about that."

She nodded, "I got separated from them on one of the moving staircases; we were heading back to the common room now. Unless you needed us for anything else?" Lily said innocently, her green eyes wide.

Filch looked back and forth between the Marauders and Lily before grunting. "Go back to your common room. If I catch you in the halls again, I'll throw you all in detention. Even you, Evans," he grumbled in acquiescence.

"Of course," Lily said immediately, turning back to the boys. "Let's be off then. Good night, Mr. Filch, Mrs. Norris. Have a good night." She led the way down the hall, a smug Sirius, speechless Peter and amused Remus trailing behind them. They were a few corridors away from Filch when she finally doubled over with laughter, her green eyes sparkling with amusement. The boys joined with her quickly, their laughter echoing around the silent hall.

"You saved our skin back there, Lily," Peter said appreciatively as they began to calm down. "Filch would have given us a month of detention if you hadn't come along."

Sirius draped his arm across Lily's shoulders. "I think we can corrupt you yet, Lily flower," he added gleefully. "You've only been friends with us for half the school year and we've got you covering for us. Soon you'll be planning your own pranks."

Lily waved her hand dismissively at Peter's appreciation. "Don't worry about it; it's what friends do. What were you all doing out there anyway?" she asked as they continued to the common room. "Gone to spring Potter from detention? He should be back in the common room by now."

"Kitchen run," Remus explained, pulling a pumpkin pastie from his pocket and offering it to her. "Padfoot got hungry."

"Growing boys have to eat you know," Sirius stated. "We didn't think we'd run into Filch on our way back."

She bit into the offered food, a smile forming on her lips. "Everyone needs a late night snack. I try to keep some Honeydukes candy in my trunk."

"Our stash doesn't last a week between the four of us," Remus laughed, giving the Fat Lady the password to enter the common room.

"I wondered where you three got off to," a familiar voice called from the armchair by the fire as the group made their way into the common room. James Potter was slumped in the armchair, his sleeves rolled up and his tie tossed onto the coffee table.

"The boys got hungry," Lily explained as she moved toward the armchair, leaning against the side of it. She offered James the last bite of her pumpkin pastie. "And then I had to get them out of trouble with Filch."

James accepted the pastry, popping it into his mouth. "How'd that go?" he mumbled around the food.

Sirius flopped onto the couch, grinning broadly. "Our Lily flower _lied_ to keep us out of detention," he said happily.

"Prefect Lily Evans lied to a Hogwarts staff member?" James gasped dramatically, pressing his hand against his chest. "Now I've seen everything. Who knows what sort of mischief she's really capable of? Maybe she's been playing pranks over the years and we never knew. This is a life-changing moment."

Lily laughed, pushing his shoulder gently. "Shut up all of you," she retorted. "And move over, Potter; you're in my chair."

James made a show of looking around at the chair. "I don't see your name on it," he replied cheekily as he scooted over, allowing her to squeeze into the space beside him.

"How was detention with Sprout?" Remus asked curiously.

He groaned, shaking his head. "Awful. Do you know how much rubbish they keep in some of the potions cupboards? Took forever to clean it all out. But I found a few things that maybe we can use for our next prank," James replied before looking at Lily. "I'm not sure our Gryffindor prefect wants to hear the rest of the conversation."

She relaxed back into the chair, rolling her eyes. "I'm too tired to go anywhere, so I won't tell a soul what I hear," Lily answered.

"Marauder's honor?" Sirius asked.

"I'm not a Marauder, but sure why not," she laughed. "Marauder's honor, I won't tell anyone."

The four boys looked at her for a moment before James nodded, a smile on his lips. "Trust me, Evans, you'll be glad to know about this prank from the beginning," James said before turning back to the boys, launching into his story about the potions cupboard.

* * *

Reviews please!


	7. Accepting

My wonderful readers, here we are at the last chapter of this story. Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to check out my other Marauders stories: Saturday Morning, Migraine Pain, Wedding Crashers, Light in the Rain, Firewhiskey for Butterbeer, and Christmas Secret.

Until next time readers,

ninjanervana

* * *

 _Seventh Year_

James ran a hand through his hair as he yawned widely, heading down the stairs to the Great Hall. The Head Boy was absolutely knackered; between homework, Quidditch practice, studying for NEWTS, patrols at night, and the occasional prank, he could barely fit in any time to sleep. After running on four or five hours of sleep a night for the past two weeks, it was only a matter of time that he would sleep through his alarms. It was only because Lily had woken him that morning that he didn't sleep through breakfast and his first class. He was usually ready and waiting for her when they walked down to breakfast together from the Heads' dormitory.

The thought of the Head Girl brought a smile to his lips. He always knew she would be Head Girl- there was no one else in their year who could have possibly taken her position, no one as smart or kind as her-but it would be an understatement to say he was surprised to receive the Head Boy badge. The boys had teased him mercilessly that summer when he received the letter from Dumbledore; it was well intentioned, but it did nothing to allay his fears that he would muck it up. It was only after a stern lecture from Lily when they ran into each other in Diagon Alley that made him think he wouldn't make a complete fool of himself, that maybe he would be able to do a decent enough job as Head Boy that he wouldn't be a complete burden to Lily. It was only early October, but things seemed to be going well so far.

Walking into the Great Hall, James smiled as he caught of a flash of red hair seated in the middle of the table. He wasn't surprised to see his three best mates sitting along with her. Over the past year, all of the Marauders had gotten close to Lily once James stopped asking her out; she easily blended into their tight-knit group, as if she had always been a part of it. There was no doubt in James's mind that Lily belonged with their group.

"Morning," James greeted them as he sat on the bench beside Lily, dropping his bag onto the table.

Lily looked up from the Charms homework she was explaining to Peter, smiling at him. "Thought you'd never make it down for breakfast," she teased.

"Wouldn't have if it wasn't for you," James laughed, grabbing the plate of waffles and piling them onto his own plate. "Probably would have slept till lunch; I'm exhausted."

"You're lucky your pseudo-girlfriend likes you that much," Sirius chuckled. "I would have left your arse in bed."

James raised an eyebrow, "Pseudo-girlfriend?"

Sirius nodded, stealing a piece of waffle off of James's plate. "You two aren't dating and Merlin only knows why you two aren't, but you're basically a couple," Sirius explained. "You're together all the time, come down to meals together, spend free time together. Only thing you two don't do is snog or have sex…or do you? What really goes on in the Heads' dorms?"

Remus smacked Sirius in the back of the head with his textbook as James kicked him under the table. "Padfoot, you seem so much smarter when you don't open your mouth," Remus sighed. "Just stop talking."

Lily blushed brightly at Sirius's comment, packing up her books. "Well the pseudo-girlfriend is heading to class now," she said as she stood. "I'll see you lads later."

"Two years ago, she would have hexed me for saying that," Sirius commented as Lily walked out of the Great Hall. "Think she might finally be falling for you, Prongs."

"Think so?" James murmured, watching Lily as she left. Part of him had given up on ever winning Lily's love; if the best he could hope for was his friendship, then he was perfectly satisfied with that. He just wanted Lily to be happy. But another part of him hoped that one day some miracle would occur to make her fall in love with him as much as he was in love with her.

Sirius nodded, "If there was ever a time to ask her out, mate, it's now."

* * *

"You call him Vermin?" James laughed, shaking his head. It was just after midnight and he was doing his nightly rounds with Lily. Their patrols flew by quickly with their easy conversations and the aid of the Marauder's Map. He wasn't afraid to admit that patrols were his favorite time of day, a chance to unwind after a stressful day and spend time alone with Lily. "Is that any way for the Head Girl to behave?"

"Oh shut up, James," Lily chuckled, shoving him gently. "At least I've moved on from calling him the Whale. Trust me, James; when you see him, you'll understand."

James raised an eyebrow at her words, "When I see him?"

"I-I mean," Lily stammered, a light blush covering her cheeks. "I mean if you come around during Christmas holidays or something, he'll probably be there. He's always there."

He grinned broadly at her, "Are you saying you'd like to see me in a non-school setting?" he teased as his heart pounded in his chest.

"I'm saying I wouldn't hex you upon sight," she retorted. "But I can't promise not to hex you at all."

 _'Can't ask for more than that, James,'_ he thought to himself, drawing on all of his Gryffindor courage. He could feel his hands starting to sweat as his heart tried to escape his chest. "Say, Lily," he said as they continued walking down the hall. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me next week?"

Lily froze, her green eyes wide with surprise. "W-what?" she whispered.

James ruffled his hair nervously, "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me next week? On a date? I mean, it's alright if you don't. Merlin knows I've bothered you enough for a date over the years, but we've been getting on so well lately so I figured you know maybe now might be the time, you know the right time to ask. I like you a lot, you know I do; Merlin, I think I might be in love with you and I'll spend the rest of my life kicking myself if I didn't give it one last try," he rambled.

"You're in love with me?" Lily said, her voice jumping an octave.

His eyes widened in embarrassment as he realized what he said. "Oh shit, I wasn't supposed to tell you that," he muttered, "I really wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"When did you fall in love with me?" she questioned as she took a step toward him.

"I…I don't know," James admitted as he looked down at her. "For years I think I've been falling in love with you. Every time I've seen you with the lads, I think I feel in love with you more."

Lily frowned in confusion as she played with the end of her hair. "The boys made you fall in love with me?"

James nodded. "You've always been good with them, good to them. They're my family, you know? No one is more important to me than they are so it meant a lot to me that you've always treated them well even when we acted like a bunch of prats," he explained. "The guys showed me the best parts of you, Lily Evans, and I think that's how I fell in love with you."

"Yes," Lily said, a bright smile stretching across her lips. She reached out, taking James's hand in hers. "I'll go to Hogsmeade with you."

"Really?" James replied, his hazel eyes bright with happiness as he laced his fingers with hers. "You'll go?"

She nodded as she squeezed his hand gently. "And maybe we can take off the pseudo from the pseudo-girlfriend," she added shyly.

James laughed, pulling her closer. "I've been waiting years to hear that from you, Lily."

"Then I guess the others have been waiting too," Lily chuckled as she leaned into his side. "Let's finish up rounds and then we can tell them."

"Oh Lily, you know us so well," he replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as he led her back to the Gryffindor common room. "They won't believe it."

* * *

Reviews please!


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